Keyboard for organs and the like



.Ap ril 5, 1927.

J. w. STARKIE KEYBOARD FOR ORGANS AND T HE LIKE Filed June 29.- 1923 a fi Fa M M 3 I w 6 4 J .p. Q Z6 f m z a A N TM 4 a z 5 1 MM 2 0 n w H RH 9 a a 0 f.

- 11v VENTOR I Q B? I K Y \A ORNEY Patented Apr. 5, 19 27.

UNITED STATES 1,623,211 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. STAB-KIE, OF EAST ELMHURST, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLIAN COM- PANY, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

KEYBOARD FOR ORGANS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed June 29, 1923. Serial No. 648,586.

My present invention relates to improvements in keyboards for organs and the like, whereby each manual, if there be more than one, is readily removable and replaceable independently of the other manuals for making the electrical connections or effecting changes and repairs; further, my invention comprises improvements in the means for operatively supporting the keys and in the electrical contacts operated by said keys and in the other matters of construction hereinafter set forth.

The invention is independent of the number of manuals, whether one or more than one, but in the drawings (especially in Figs. 4 and I have chosen to illustrate a four mai'iual keyboard.

In said drawings which illustrate the manual construction which at present I prefer within my invention, Fig. l is a fore and aft vertical section, partly in side elevation, through one of my improved manuals, said section being taken on the line 11 in Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of said manual at one end thereof, the remaining portion or end of the manual being a mere duplication of that shown, parts beingbroken away to reveal underlying structure; Fig. 3 is an underneath view of one of the keys thereof and related parts; Fig. d is a fragmentary front elevation of an organ or organ console embodying four of said manuals, this figure being on a reduced scale as compz-ued with the previous figures; and Fig. is a vertical section, partly in elevation. of the same four manuals, said section being taken on the line 5-5 in Fig. l looking in the direction of the arrows.

Each manual 1 is a unit supported on the organ or console 2 for ready removal; and if there be a plurality of manuals, each is readily removable independently of the others and as readily returned into its operative position. This independent removability feature permits ready access to each manual to make the electrical connections therewith or to change same, also to adjust the touch or playing tension of the keys or for any other desiredpurpose.

The means by which I support each man ual fo said independent ready removal and replacement comprises the following: 3 3 are a pair of spaced apart side frames located in vertical planes adjacent the re spective ends of the manual or manuas and forming fixed parts of the organ casing or console to support the manuals between them. In a plural manual organ, the manuals are arranged in the usual superposed overlapping fashion as shown in Fig. 5.. Said side frames, and especially their front edges 3 incllne from the front of the consoi upwardly and rearwardly as shown in Fig. 5. Each manual has two pins 4 and 5 projectmg outwardly from each end. 66 are grooves. two for each manual in the inner faces of the respective side frames 3 to receive slidably into them the pins 4 and 5 for each manual, first the rear pins 5 entering said. grooves and then the front pins e during the insertion of the manual into its supported position. Said grboves incline slightly downwardly from their open front ends 6 which are located at the inclined front edges 3 of the side frames, to their closed rear ends.

Said closed rear ends engage the rear pins 5 of the manuals and form stops limiting the rearward movement of the given manual while inserting it into the grooves of the side frames as aforesaid. 6 designates notches extending downwardly from the underside of each groove 6 to receive into them the front pins l of the given manual after it has been slid fully into place and re leased. This drops the front end of the given manual so that its keys 12 become more nearly level as they should be for playing, and at the same time locks the manual so that it cannot become accidentally displaced. On the other hand, it perfectly easy to remove one or more of the manuals by simply lifting it up at the front sufliciently to remove its front pins out of the said notches 6" and then pulling the given manual and its pins forwardly out of the grooves.

I will now describe the other novel struc-- tural features embodied in each manual. a description of one manual being sufficient for all since they are all alike. Thus, each manual comprises a frame consisting of two end strips or members 77 (extending on edge fore and aft of the consol, when the manual is in position) permanently united by cross rails (all. of said end strips and rails being ordinarily made of wood), said rails being the following:

(1) A rail 8 located flatwise under the forward ends of the keys. this rail serving also to support the pins 9, one for each key, ex-

tending up freely into recesses 10 in the underside of the keys to guide their forward ends againstlateral motion without interfering with their up and down motion, said recesses on this account being elongated lengthwise of the keys and being narrow erosswide thereof;

(2) A rail 11 located flatwise at the rear ids of the keys 12 and forming the support to which they are respectively hinged or attached for pivotai up and down movement by the flexible thin metal strips 13, one for each key located under the much thicker metai pieces 14 and secured by screws 15 to the underside of the rear ends of the keys, and to the underside of the rail 11 (3) A rail 16 disposed on edge immediately in front of the rail 8 under the forward ends of the keys to extend up in front of the corners 12 of said keys, the purpose of this rail being merely to act as a finishing strip to hide the mechanism behind the rail and underneath the keys;

(a) A rail made up of the separate strips A, B and C, located under the middle portions of the keys and having functions as follows: Rail A serves as a support for another rail 17 extending horizontally over the keys to act as a buffer or stop rail preventing the keys from pivoting upwardly too far due to the pull thereon of the coiled tension springs 18. There is one of these springs for each key connecting a screw eye 19 on the rear end thereof to another screw eye 20 supported by the rear rail 11, the connect-ion between said last named screw,- eye and said spring being a screw 21 passed through said screw-eye up to the head of the screw, the threads of the screw engaging the coils of the spring so that by turning the screw with a screw-driver, the degree of tension of the spring 18 can be adjusted to regulate the touch or degree of pressure required to depress the given key. These springs 18 automatically return the keys to their rip-position against the above described stop rail 17 which to eliminate noise is provided with a strip of felt 1'7 on its underside.

The means for supporting said stop rail from the rail A comprises vertical pins 19, whose lower ends have screw-threaded engagement with the rail Aso, that the height of the stop rail can be adjusted as desired.

The electrical contacts and wiring comprise the following: 29 is a cable of insulated wires, one wire for each key, said cable being supported by clips underneath the rear rail, the respective wires of this cable being attached preferably by soldering, to the rear ends 13 of the metal hinge strips 13.

22 is a wire electrically connecting the hinge-strip 13 of each key with member 23 consisting of a piece of thin springy metal,

one for each key on the underside thereof, bent into the shape shown in the side view in Fig. 1 and in the underneath plan view in Fig. 3. In other words, each of said members consists of a rear portion 23 secured against the underside of its key by a screw 2st and of a forward portion 23 bent down wardly from the underside of the key the free end 23 of said forward portion being bent Vertically downward. The portion 23 is longitudinally slotted at 23 to receive through it the shank of a screw 25 which taps into the key, the shank of said screw being smooth within the slot and being screw-threaded only near this point.

26 is a single or common return wire for all of the keys located in a groove formed between the rails A, B and C and extending lengthwise thereof. 27 designates thin springy metal strips soldered to said common return wire to project forwardly therefrom gripped between the ails B and C with the free ends of said strips or tongues located respectively under the downwardly extending free ends 23" of the metal members 23.

lVhen the keys are depressed to play the instrument, said free ends 23" of the memhere 23 on the given keys contact with the tongues 27 under them and so complete the electrical circuits for those particular keys to operate the related tone-producing devices of the organ, The referred to screws 25 serve to adjust the distance by which the aforesaid parts are normally separated when the keys are u Further, it will be noted that the rail overhangs the rail B so as to act as a stop limiting the upward motion of the spring tongues 27 after they have been depressed by the down stroke of the related keys.

Changes and modifications may be made in the foregoing practical embodiment of my present improvements which will nevertheless still be within the spirit of the fore going description and within the meaning and spirit of the annexed claims and which as such are accordingly intended to be covered thereby.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In combination, a manual for a keyboard instrument, supports at the ends of said manual; and pin and groove connec tions between said ends of the manual and said supports permitting the manual to he slid into and out of position thereon, said grooves havingnotches extending laterally therefrom adapted to be engaged by said pins when the manual is in place to prevent accidental displacement thereof.

2. In combination, multiple superposed manuals for a keyboard instrument, each being an independent unit, supports at the ends of said manuals, and means for supporting said manuals on said supports permitting each manual to be slid into and out of position independently of the others.

3. In combination, a manual for a keyboard instrument, supports at the ends of said manual; and pin and groove connections between said ends of the manual and said supports permitting the manual to be slid into and out of position thereon, there being two pins projecting from each end of the manual to engage the grooves in the supports, said grooves inclining downwardly from their forward open ends to their rear closed ends, which latter act as stops for the rear pins of the manual, and notches extending downwardly from the undersides of said grooves to receive the front pins and lock them against accidental displacement.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 28th day of June A. D. 1923.

JOHN W. STARKIE. 

